In the present patent application the term “inhaler” refers to medical as well as non-medical inhalation device. The term refers in addition to cigarette substitutes, as disclosed, for example, in European patent class A24F47/00B, in so far as these are intended to provide the user with an inhalable medium. The inhalable medium consists of a vapour-air mixture and/or an aerosol, in particular of a nicotine-containing vapour-air mixture and/or aerosol. The use of the singular “flavour” is not to suggest that the flavour consists of only one ingredient. Rather the “flavour” can also contain a large number of very different individual substances. Any reservoir can be considered a “flavour reservoir communicable with the environment by diffusion” if the flavour which it contains can volatilise into the environment by evaporation and/or sublimation and diffusion.
Currently available nicotine inhalers are usually designed in such a way that they dispense a nicotine-containing vapour-air mixture and/or aerosol into the oral cavity of a user. As an example, mention may be made of the nicotine inhaler sold by McNeil Consumer Healthcare GmbH under the designation “Nicorette® Inhaler”, cf. www.nicorette.de. This inhaler supplies a nicotine-containing vapour-air mixture to the user by way of a mouthpiece, the organoleptic effects of which many users find unpleasant. In no way is this inhaler able to copy the complex organoleptic effects of cigarette smoke. Stimulation of an olfactory appeal, like that caused by sidestream smoke flowing from the glowing end of the cigarette during the course of smoking a cigarette, is completely lacking. One can assume from this that this additional olfactory stimulus is to be equated with a key attraction which gives cigarette smokers a substantial incentive to maintain their tobacco consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,618 (Armando Dominguez) describes a sensory smoke simulator, consisting of a housing 40, which contains two chambers 41, 42 separated by a partition 43. The lower chamber 42 is provided with an air intake window 10 on one side. On the opposite side it is connected with a tubular mouthpiece holder 14a. The tubular mouthpiece holder 14a holds a mouthpiece 15 with an internal passage 14b. The mouthpiece 15 exhibits a bitter taste similar to that of cigarette smoke. In the lower chamber 42 two impellers 12 are arranged which are caused to rotate by the suction current caused by the user in the course of inhaling. The impellers 12 for their part drive via shafts 16 two corresponding impellers 29 arranged in the upper chamber 41, which work like a suction pump. The upper chamber 41 has a cigarette holder 24 on one side. On the opposite side are two discharge opening tubes 30 connected to the chamber 41 and arranged in such a way that during use of the smoking simulator their openings lie in the proximity of the nose of the user. The upper chamber 41 is closed by a cover 34. A main discharge opening 35 is integrated into the cover 34. To operate the smoking simulator: the user inserts a cigarette 21a into the cigarette holder 24 and lights it. As soon as inhalation is effected via the mouthpiece 15, the impellers 12 are set in motion and in turn drive the suction pump impellers 29. The latter cause air from the environment to be drawn through the cigarette 21a and in the course of this, as when smoke forms when a conventional cigarette is smoked, the smoke is pumped through the chamber 41. The predominant part of the smoke is again blown out unused into the environment via the main discharge opening 35, while a smaller quantity of the smoke leaks out intentionally via the discharge opening tubes 30 into the proximity of the nose of the user, who detects the tobacco smoke flavour. In an alternative arrangement of the smoke simulator, bodies 21e impregnated with cigarette smoke flavour be can also inserted into the cigarette holder 24 (FIG. 3A) instead of the cigarette 21a. In a further alternative arrangement an electric motor 17 can also propel the suction pump impellers 29 instead of the impellers 12 (FIG. 2).
The inertia of the four impellers 12, 29, the friction in their bearings, the gaps between the impellers and the housing 40 and the dead volumes always existing in the chambers 41, 42 have the consequence that gas volume (approx. 20-80 mL) usually sucked into the oral cavity during a draw when smoking a cigarette will probably not be sufficient to effect a function as previously described. Apart from this, the smoke simulator has a quite complicated and complex structure. The cost of manufacture is also not reduced if the impellers 12 are replaced with an electric motor 17. In using the cigarette 21a substantial quantities of sidestream smoke injurious to health are formed and released into the environment. No more detailed information is provided about the ingredients of this body 21e impregnated with “cigarette smoke flavour”. JP 11-009693 (Nagai Kenichi) shows an arrangement which is similar in principle.
JP 08-056640 (Setsuo Kuroki) describes inhalation device, essentially consisting of (FIGS. 3, 4 and 6) a drum 7, containing a body 6 impregnated with flavour or a body 6a impregnated with tobacco smoke flavour and furthermore consisting of a mouthpiece unit 10 with a mouthpiece 11. In the front part of the device is a first check valve B, which opens and closes an entrance opening 3. In the rear part of the device is a second check valve C, which opens and closes an outlet 15. The function of the device is shown in FIG. 7: during a draw and/or an inhalation, air from the environment flows into the device via the entrance opening 3, permeates the body 6 impregnated with flavour and/or the body 6a impregnated with tobacco smoke flavour, is enriched with flavour and finally arrives in the oral cavity of the user via the mouthpiece 11. The air-flavour mixture administered in this way is not exhaled into the environment after inhalation, as is usual with cigarettes, but is blown back into the inhalation device via the mouthpiece 11, as a result of which a positive pressure develops in the device. The positive pressure causes the check valve C to open and the air-flavour mixture leaks out in the direction of the nose of the user via the outlet 15, whereby the air-flavour mixture can finally be smelt by the user. A cigarette smoker would thus have to change his draw and/or inhalation behaviour completely if he wanted to use this inhalation device. This circumstance is to be considered as a disadvantage. Furthermore, it is considered as unfavourable that stimulation of olfactory appeal does not take place at the same time as the draw. No further detail is provided on the ingredients of the flavour administered and/or “tobacco smoke flavour”. JP 01-094861 (Watabe Isamu) shows an arrangement operating on a similar principle, which operates without the use of check valves.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,634 (Hirotada Murai) and GB 408,856 (Wietske van Seters-Bosch et al.) describe inhalation apparatuses which enable the simultaneous inhalation of an inhalable medium by mouth and nose. The device in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,634 relates to a very complex construction, where the inhalable medium can be drawn after manipulation of a valve mechanism by the user, where the manipulation of the valve mechanism is effected by the clamping together of the teeth. In the case of GB 408,856 the user must employ two nasal tubes as well as a mouthpiece. Many users have rejected these devices simply on the grounds of their strange handling and operation, which has limited social acceptability. According to U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,634 the inhalable medium can be a tobacco extract or tobacco smoke extract dissolved in alcohol. Ether is cited by way of example as a solvent for the extraction.
WO 88/01884 (Paul Terasaki) describes different variants of a “sniffing stick”, which in total comprises: a mouthpiece 1, an extension 2 and an odoriferous substance preparation 3, which is supported by the extension 2. If a user holds the mouthpiece 1 between his lips or teeth, the odoriferous substance preparation 3 is in the proximity of his nostrils, so that the odoriferous substances can be consumed in an efficient way. In the example in accordance with FIG. 4, a single plastic rod forms both the mouthpiece 1 and the extension 2. The odoriferous substance preparation 3 is absorbed in a paper substrate 4, which is wound around the extension 2 and is fixed to the plastic rod by means of an adhesive. FIG. 7 shows in principle a similar arrangement; the main difference is that in the example in accordance with FIG. 7 both the mouthpiece 1 and the extension 2 are flat. FIGS. 8 and 9 show arrangements with an angled extension 2. These variants have the effect that the odoriferous substance-soaked substrate 4 moves even closer to the user's nostrils during use. FIGS. 11-37 show arrangements with rod-shaped substrates 4, which are arranged in cavities 8 formed of cylindrical extensions 2. Various control devices are envisaged, by means of which the user can exert an influence within certain limits on the release of the odoriferous substances. WO 88/01884 discloses a “sniffing stick” for the exclusive administration of odoriferous substances into the nose of a user, but there is no reference to inhalers and consequently it cannot impart any concrete teachings to the skilled man as to how an odoriferous substance substrate could advantageously be integrated into an inhaler arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,851 (Klaus Braunroth) describes a one-way protective mask for the masking of unpleasant smells for use in a foul-smelling environment, for example in the environment of animal wastes. The protective mask 40 is based on (FIG. 5-7) an air-permeable, filtering fabric cover 41, which can be secured to the head by means of straps 42. For instance, in the centre of the fabric cover 41 there is an odour-masking means 50, consisting of an impermeable covering 52. The covering 52 consists of two mutually opposing surfaces 52A and 52B. Between the surfaces 52A and 52B there is an absorbing material 54, e.g. cotton. The absorbing material 54 is impregnated with an odour-masking substance 55. The surface 52B is provided with a multiplicity of openings 56 and is overlaid with a seal 60, which is stuck together at the outside margin of the covering 52. The seal 60 exhibits a latch 62, by means of which the seal 60 can be removed from the covering 52. After removal of the seal 60, the protective mask 40 is operational. The odour-masking substance 55 can now evaporate through the openings 56 and mix with the odour-laden air flowing through the fabric cover 41 and neutralise any odour.
Finally it should be noted that the state of the art disclosed in the above-described documents does not formally include the type designated in the preamble. Nevertheless, the aforementioned documents are cited, since they at least illustrate the further environment of the invention which is the subject of the present application and are, to that extent, worthy of consideration.